The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is attempting to find a regulatory fix – striking a balance between national defense and economics – to eliminate electromagnetic spectrum inefficiencies. For now, this is making the exact role cognitive radio technology will play in the U.S. military’s future unclear.

New design trends for shipboard electronics, such as those onboard the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship, focus on enabling enhanced data sharing capabilities and automation, along with a heavy emphasis on being prepared for electronic warfare.

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) budget cuts and sequestration combined with a shrinking U.S. military footprint abroad have created an uncertain marketplace, leaving many to wonder where the business opportunities will be. However, market analysts and distributors of electronic components don’t see it so much as a shrinking market, but rather one that is evolving and shifting toward sustainment.

Higher data rates in military embedded systems can be both a boon and a burden: difficult to achieve and even more difficult to diagnose and debug. However, the capabilities of modern test equipment and associated software make it easier to deal with signal-integrity issues, difficult-to-probe hardware, and complex serial-data analysis.

The concept of the VICTORY intra-vehicle networking architecture is well understood, and will deliver real benefits. However, that’s not to say that the implementation of the architecture does not represent some tough challenges.

Encrypted storage designers must plan ahead – taking into consideration the probable “creep” in requirements for storage, I/O, and encryption – when architecting a new system that requires data storage. The likelihood of needing to accommodate increased demands makes it prudent to choose a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device or recorder that can grow with those demands.

The U.S. State Department and U.S. Department of Commerce are making big changes to long-standing export control policies as part of an effort to improve the international competitiveness of the U.S. space industrial base.